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29. THE PRIORY OF GREAT MASSINGHAM

A small Austin priory, dedicated to the honour
of the Blessed Virgin and afterwards to SS. Mary
and Nicholas, was founded at Great Massingham
before 1260, probably by Nicholas le Syre of
Massingham. The house was originally termed
a hospital, and was doubtless chiefly intended for
the relief of the poor, but the master being
termed a prior, and the house being placed under
the Austin rule, it was also correctly designated
a priory. It continued, however, to be referred
to occasionally as a hospital and its prior as the
warden at least as late as 1405 (fn. 1); and in 1395
it is even called ' the king's Domus Dei' of
Massingham, when John Wilton, who had faithfully served the late king but was now incapacitated through leprosy, was sent there to be
sustained. (fn. 2)

In 1260 Nicholas de Massingham granted to
the Prior William of the hospital of St. Mary
of Massingham, a messuage and mill and two
carucates of land in Great and Little Massingham, together with 5s. rent and a furlong of
heath, with all homages and services, on condition of the hospital paying the donor an annuity
of £15 for life, and annuities of £5 and six
marks respectively to his brother John and his
sister Joan. (fn. 3)

The house had but a small endowment. The
taxation roll of 1291 shows that it had possessions in six Norfolk parishes, and that its annual
value was £18 2s.

On 12 May, 1293, the prior and brethren of
the hospital of St. Mary, Great Massingham,
obtained licence to hold, of the gift of John
Lamberd and others, twenty-five acres of land in
Massingham. (fn. 4) In April, 1302, the prior and
convent of the hospital obtained licence to
enclose a path below their convent on the west
side for the enlargement of their buildings. (fn. 5)

For several years the priory received a great
many small gifts of lands from the inhabitants of
Massingham, a clear proof that its services were
valued.

Edward II, in 1313, granted a licence to the
prior and convent of Great Massingham, to
acquire in mortmain lands and rents to the value
of £10 a year. (fn. 6) On 22 July of the same year
in part satisfaction of this licence, Simon Knout
assigned to the priory 6 acres and 3 roods
of land in Massingham; Avice, late wife of
Geoffrey Bartelot, and Reginald her son 2½ acres;
Margery and Basilia Chamberleyn, 1 acre;
Felicia de Narford, a moiety of an acre; Robert
and Emma Cat, 3 roods; Katherine Bryghtlet,
a rood; and William de Whitewelle, 35s. 4d. of
rent. (fn. 7) In August, 1315, there was an additional
alienation of 11½ acres of land in Massingham
to the priory, on payment of half a mark. (fn. 8)

In October, 1329, sixteen other persons
alienated small plots of lands in Massingham to
the priory (here termed hospital) of the united
yearly value of 13s. 4d. (fn. 9) In 1335 eleven others
granted somewhat larger plots of the annual
value of 24s. 2½d., (fn. 10) and the advowson of the
church of St. Mary, Warham, with 5d. of rent
was given to the priory in 1339, by Katherine,
widow of Walter de Norwich, and John her son. (fn. 11)

On 18 February, 1299, the king signified to
the bishop of Norwich the royal assent to the
election of brother Geoffrey de Fakenham,
cellarer of the house of SS. Mary and Nicholas,
Massingham, to be prior of that house, he having
been presented by the sub-prior and brethren to
the king as patron by reason of the knights' fees
and advowsons of churches, late of Richard, son
of John, deceased tenant-in-chief, being in his
hands. (fn. 12)

John de Lenn was instituted to the priory by
the bishop in 1325; the royal assent had on this
occasion also to be obtained, as the patronage
was in the king's hands, by reason of the forfeiture of Thomas de Weyland. (fn. 13)

The buildings of this small priory being much
decayed, and its emoluments so small, the
bishop's licence was obtained in 1475 to unite it
to the priory of West Acre. It was therefore reestablished as a cell of West Acre, and maintained
two canons and two poor brethren. (fn. 14)

There is an elaborate survey and rental of the
possessions of Massingham priory at Candlemas,
1540, at the Public Record Office, covering
twelve closely written folios. (fn. 15) The house is
therein termed 'the priory of Datforde in Great
Massingham.' Bound up with it are various
later surveys, mostly of Elizabethan date.